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Awards and decorations of Austenasia

The Austenasian honours system comprises the various titles, awards and decorations which can be bestowed by the Empire of Austenasia. The honours system was established by several Acts of Parliament under the Austenasian Constitution of 2008 (mainly Acts 6, 41, 56 and 118). The bestowing of honours can be done only by the Monarch. The exception is with the Order of the Crown Princess, when the Monarch has no say in it and the bestowing of a title from said order of chivalry can be done only by the Heir to the Throne.

Civilians can be knighted into one of the five orders of chivalry, with military awards consisting of military medals for individuals and battle honours for military units.

The four most senior orders have the Monarch as their Sovereign - only he can bestow honours from that order. The least senior, the Order of the Crown Princess, is unique amongst all Austenasian honours in that it can only be bestowed by the Heir to the Throne.

Glorious Order of St. John

The Glorious Order of St. John has three grades, the holders of all of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 31 January 2009, a total of twenty four people have been made members since its founding. The grades in the order are thus:

Knight/Dame Companion (KCJ/DCJ), with a maximum quota of 12 members

Knight/Dame of Honour (KHJ/DHJ)

Knight/Dame of Virtue (KVJ/DVJ)

Order of Saint Constantine

The Order of Saint Constantine has two grades, the holders of both of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 21 May 2016, a total of thirteen people have been made members since its founding. The order is unique in three respects: first, it also functions as a charitable organisation; second, membership is open only to baptised Christians; and third, it is the only order the recipients of which do not receive post-nominals. The grades in the order are thus:

Knight/Dame Imperial

Knight/Dame

Order of the Bullmastiff

The Order of the Bullmastiff has five grades, the holders of all of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 31 January 2009, a total of twenty nine people have been made members since its founding. Prior to April 2016, when the fifth grade was established, all the grades of knighthoods in this order had maximum quotas; this resulted in the order being "full" from September 2010 to January 2013, September 2013 to May 2014, and September 2015 to April 2016 due to there being no more spaces available. The Order is the only Austenasian order of chivalry to have a mascot, a bullmastiff appointed as such for life by the Monarch. The grades in the order are thus:

Knight/Dame of Carothan (KOC/DOC), with a maximum quota of 2 members

Knight/Dame of Rose (KOR/DOR), with a maximum quota of 4 members

Knight/Dame of Edd (KOE/DOE), with a maximum quota of 4 members

Knight/Dame of Molossers (KOM/DOM), with a maximum quota of 6 members

Knight/Dame (KOB/DOB)

Austenasian Order

The Austenasian Order, the oldest and largest Austenasian order of chivalry, has five grades, the holders of the two most senior of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 20 September 2008 mere hours after the foundation of the Empire itself, a total of eighty seven people have been made members since its creation. The order is unique in that it is the only Austenasian order of chivalry in which no grade has a maximum quota. The grades in the order are thus:

Imperial Knight/Dame (IKA/IDA)

Knight/Dame Commander (KCA/DCA)

Commander (CAO)

Officer (OAO)

Member (MAO)

Order of the Crown Princess

The Order of the Crown Princess has four grades, the holders of all but the least senior of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 31 January 2009, a total of forty nine people have been made members since its founding. The grades in the order are thus:

Supreme Companion of the Heir (SCH), with a maximum quota of 1 member

Knight/Dame Protector of the Crown Princess (KPP/DPP), with a maximum quota of 12 members

Knight/Dame of the Crown Princess (KCP/DCP)

Squire of the Crown Princess (SCP)

Table of precedence

Although the four orders of chivalry have a clear order of precedence, most of the grades within each order correspond with another in terms of the precedence held by each one. For example, an Officer of the Austenasian Order and a Squire of the Crown Princess are considered to have the same level of honour in regards to the precedence of their titles. The following table displays the hierarchy of the different grades in Austenasian orders of chivalry:

Glorious Order of St. John

Order of Saint Constantine

Order of the Bullmastiff

Austenasian Order

Order of the Crown Princess

Knight Companion

Supreme Companion of the Heir

Knight/Dame of Honour

Knight/Dame Imperial

Knight/Dame of Carothan

Knight/Dame of Virtue

Knight/Dame of Rose

Imperial Knight/Dame

Knight/Dame of Edd

Knight/Dame

Knight/Dame of Molossers

Knight/Dame Commander

Knight/Dame Protector

Knight/Dame

Knight/Dame

Commander

Officer

Squire

Member

Medals

Military Medals

Military Medals are awards given to enlisted members of the Austenasian Armed Forces by the Monarch, usually on the recommendation of the recipient's commanding officer. Military Medals were established on 26 April 2010 by Act 118 (Revised Medals) to provide awards for the soldiers who were fighting during the Austenasian Civil War (although the David Cross, the most senior, had existed since the founding of the Austenasian Army in May 2009), originally as military counterparts to civilian medals (see below). A person can only have one Military Medal at a time, the highest awarded.

The Military Medals in order of precedence and their recipients are thus:

The David Cross (DC) - "for acts of the greatest heroism, courage or self-sacrifice in the name of duty during warfare". Named for the late father of the first Monarch, Emperor Terry I.

None awarded.

The Warrior Cross (WC) - "for acts of heroism, courage or self-sacrifice in the name of duty during warfare".

Former medals

Before they were abolished by Act 126 (17th Revision to Existing Laws) in September 2010, the Empire did have some rarely awarded civilian medals, established alongside the Austenasian Order by Act 6 (not including the Environmental Star, which was established later, by the aforementioned Act 41). In order of precedence, they and their recipients were:

The Terry Cross (TC) - "for acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger.". Named for the first Monarch, Emperor Terry I.

None awarded.

The Imperial Austenasian Red Cross (IRC) - "for exceptional medical services to a member of the Royal [sic] Family".

Battle honours

Battle honours were established by Act 140 (Military Reform) in January 2011, and are the awarding to a military unit the right "to emblazon the name of a military encounter on its flags, standards, uniforms, or other accessories where ornamentation is possible... as official acknowledgement for their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign". They are unique amongst all Austenasian honours in that, as well as being awarded to a group of people rather than to an individual, they have almost always been bestowed by Parliament, with only Legion I Britannica's battle honour of London 2011 having been bestowed by the Monarch alone to date.

Lower Playground and Line 2005 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the successful expansion of the Midget Empire under the early reign of Midget Master Jonathan (II)".

Patioed Pathway 2005 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the successful conquest of the Patioed Pathway".

Wrythe 2009 - awarded to Legio I Britannica on 13/1/2011 "in recognition of the part it played in successfully defending the Prime Minister’s Office against British invaders during the Skirmish of the Treasury".

Commius Flats 2009 - awarded to Centuria I Wrythiae on 13/1/2011 "in recognition of its successful invasion of Commius Flats".

Wrythe 2010 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the successful attack on Wrythe [now known to be a fabrication] which resulted in the Counsellors of State giving Imperial Consent to Act 138". The only battle honour to be rescinded, having been withdrawn on 28 August 2013 over one and a half years after it was revealed the battle for which it was awarded never took place.

London 2011 - awarded to Legio I Britannica on 29/3/2013 "in recognition of its mobilisation to protect Austenasia during the riots in Britain that summer, acknowledging the valued role and important part it played in assuaging worries of Austenasian residents despite not seeing actual combat".